I’ve been very lucky to get to participate in this event every year. The Downtown Halifax Business Commission has a party and gives 30 local bloggers some gift cards to go out and explore out downtown area. It’s such a great opportunity for me to visit some of my favorite local businesses, try new ones, and to write about them.

This year, we were each given $150 and a twist – ask your social media following where you should go on your Big Day Downtown. So ask I did, and I got some great responses.

Suggestions included Neptune Theatre, Biscuit General Store, Foregin Affair, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, The Freak Lunchbox, Take It Outside, the Art Gallery shop, and more. With so many good suggestions, how could I possibly choose? (Actually, I kind of didn’t – while I didn’t use my Big Day Downtown gift cards for this, a coworker and I did swing by Neptune Theatre later that day to pick up tickets for Into The Woods at Neptune Theatre.) Still, one tweet conquered all.

I LOVE Inkwell Boutique. Love it. It’s the first place I go any time I need a birthday, bridal shower, anniversary – anything card or gift. And because I so often am shopping there for other people, I rarely buy anything for myself. It takes an immense amount of restraint. Every time I enter this beautiful little shop, I think “I could easily drop a few hundred dollars in here.”

Inkwell Boutique is on Market Street in Halifax, and sells beautiful cards, letterpress prints, and handmade items. I can actually see this store from my office window, and I love popping in at lunch just to see what’s new. So on Thursday at lunch, a few of my coworkers and I walked up the hill to Inkwell, ready for me to pick out $150 worth of items.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited.

I picked up a few items right away, but spent a long time in the store browsing, considering my options. I mean, how often do you get to drop $150 in your favorite store with no guilt? I couldn’t screw this up.

In the end, I was very pleased with my purchases.

Here’s what I got:

The first things I looked at were prints by local Halifax artist Emma Fitzgerald. I’ve purchased her work as gifts for friends before, but hadn’t yet picked out anything for myself. These had to be mine.

I can’t wait to frame these and get them on my walls.

I also picked out this beautiful piece. I love the colors, and the message.

Inkwell has a beautiful selection of adorable tea towels, so I selected two.

They’re just so pretty! I love the little cat in the window of the red house.

I picked up this cute drinking jar for my desk at work.

(In the background, you can see just a glimpse of what is a wide selection of tea from World Tea House on Argyle Street – another one of my favorite local businesses!)

And finally, I picked up this adorable bottle opener. It will be great in the kitchen or, possibly one day, a backyard.

Well guys, that was my haul! $150 well spent. If you haven’t been to Inkwell Boutique, you really should check it out. And, follow the #BigDayDowntown hashtag on Twitter so that you can boss around the other bloggers and tell them where to go!